A Hero's Duty
by SherryBlossom
Summary: "I don't think you truly understand the reality of all this, Ames! There's more to being a hero than just saving people...it gets tougher in the long run and...you lose someone in the process...but I won't let that happen...I-I can't..."
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a little something forming from my anticipation for Sonic Boom. I figure something like this would probably happen given the circumstances. I kinda just went with the plot, but in my own way. Don't have too much detail about the story plot yet, so this is what happens!**

**All new and old Sonic Characters are (c) of Sega**

* * *

_Now_

"Lyric, you've got the wrong guy! Will you get that in your scaly brain! I don't have your stupid crystal!" Sonic yelled in frustration as he'd tried multiple times to convince the reptilian villain that who he thought Sonic was was that of his imagination. The reptilian adversary, named Lyric, was persistent on confirming his suspicions. What those suspicions were, no one was aware of, but they all knew he was willing to hold anyone he could as hostage in attempt to get what he wanted. Even Amy.

"You shamelessly deny your past? And for what? For fear that your 'new friends' might abandon you? For something that you can't even grasp to fully understand? Stop this you fool! You will finish what you started and give me the crystal, or else..." Lyric glared at Sonic while aiming his claw gun at a cage that was on the left side of him, which contained a, not at all, frightened Amy. "...the girl will die."

Sonic's eyes widened at this threat, but he wouldn't let Lyric get the better of him. Although Amy was in a tough pickle right now, Sonic would most likely find a way to save her, as he always did. If he had any doubts that things weren't looking so hot, he would immediately dismiss them and look for anything that would make him think otherwise. Of course, that would be the outcome every time. Over the years, Sonic gained a knack for this 'nick of time' saving concept and lives were saved countless times within a day. He was the world's greatest hero. No doubt. But he wasn't alone. Oh no.

Along with Sonic would be his main pilot man and little brother, Miles "Tails" Prower, who was the brains of every operation. The brawn of the team and number one hot head was none other than Knuckles the Echidna. And finally, the heart of the team and female heroin was the pink, passionate Amy Rose. These four heroes were well-known amongst their people and were always hard at work bringing justice to civilians. Unfortunately, now was the time that both hero and civilian were in deep with injustice alone.

_Earlier_

Amy, as well as a couple of passerby townspeople, had been captured by Lyric in his own attempt to blackmail Sonic into surrendering the Shattered Crystals. Fortunately, not all of the passerby had been captured thanks to Tails and Knuckles who fought off some of the strange-looking robots who were obviously under Lyric's control. Amy had also been trying to protect the people, but in the midst of protecting them she was also caught in the line of fire. Lyric hurriedly caged the people and Amy inside the huge, dome-shaped room of the temple with his outstretched mechanical bars. It wasn't long until Sonic noticed civilians had been captured along with Amy, so he told Tails and Knuckles to get the remaining civilians back to the town and bring back-up. He'd handle this for now.

Amy, being the hot tempered girl she is, threatened Lyric to let them go or else she'd show him no mercy. Lyric laughed at this, found it rather amusing and instantly took a liking to her fearless attitude, which then he decided, harshly, to put her in her own cage for 'special' treatment later on.

So, yes. Amy had gotten herself into more trouble, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She was a lot stronger and more dependable now. Sonic knew she could handle herself, but there were times when he'd worry that one day, her mouth would be her worst enemy. This was one of those days.

"Lyric..." he sighed "Even though I don't have the slightest idea as to who you are, and I don't, I'm smart enough to know that a guy such as yourself isn't gonna use hostages for something you're not even sure of. It's kinda stupid."

Lyric's eyes widened at Sonic's last words. He was insulted. "Rodent, even if the situation as it is now were not unfolding, **don't think **for a **second **that I wouldn't murder these people before you now. Perhaps..ah, the pink one was with you before, I assume you two have some kind of tie?"

Sonic's face didn't change. If he gave the slightest clue that he was right, who knows what'll happen to Amy.

Now

Even under the threat of a large robotic, reptilian monster, Amy was not phased.

"Heh, really? You're gonna shoot an innocent girl to get what you want? Sounds a bit old school if you ask me." She had her arms crossed over each other with one arm up as she leaned against the cage, twiddling her fingers. "I mean, you're kinda old as dirt anyways, so I guess that works for you." she chuckled to herself.

The hostages lightly chuckled under their breathes as well. But Lyric was not amused and neither was Sonic. He cursed under his breath at how ruthless Amy was being. Didn't she know what kind of danger she was in? This wasn't your typical everyday villain. No. This was your typical every thousand years villain! Surely, not one you'd take lightly, but Amy didn't seem to grasp that.

However, she knew what she was doing. Earlier, when she was separated from the hostages and put in her own cage, she'd seen a flaw in Lyric's caging mechanism. It had no locks and the bars were rusted from being inactive for so long. Her hammer could batter through it with no problem, but she wasn't sure it would work entirely. So, to be sure, she figured the only way to break out of his cage was for him to break it himself. And she knew exactly how to make it happen.

One look at Sonic's expression towards Amy, Lyric saw the frustration in his eyes."Judging by the look on your blue friend's face, I'd say you'd better think before you speak. He doesn't seem to trust your judgement and neither do I. So...I've conjured up two options. Since you refuse entirely to give me what I want...I'll make an offer you simply_ can't_ refuse. The blue one can obviously make an easy choice considering he's not too pleased with you." he said regarding Amy.

Amy looked at Sonic, who was indeed giving her quite a nasty glare, to which she rolled her eyes. She sighed and said "Sonic, I can take this guy. Look at him! He's so worn out, even Doc can take him!" she chuckled and Lyric, becoming quite annoyed with her teasing, banged her caged, sending vibrations through her body. She gave a light whimper but regained and balanced herself before she looked up to see if the cage had been damaged in the least. It had. Her plan would work. If she could just get him angry a little bit more...

Sonic tensed at the abuse and angrily gave Amy an evil stare. "Amy! Stop this! Are you trying to get you and the others killed? What's wrong with you?" he extended his hands out in plea, hoping Amy would cease her 'old' jokes. She ignored him and examined the cage some more to see how many more hits she'd need from Lyric to break the cage.

"Listen to your friend you ignorant rodent! If you only knew who's hands your fate was in, you wouldn't be so rash."

Amy and Sonic looked at Lyric, wondering what he meant. He continued

"You can either choose to save the hostages...or the girl. Choose wisely, blue one." he held up both cages horizontal to each other like a balance beam.

Sonic's face features scrunched up at the sight of this and he found it insulting that this was even an option. There was no choosing. Everyone is always saved in Sonic's book. No one gets left behind.

"Lyric, you're crazy if you actually think I'm gonna choose wh-"

"Take them, Sonic." Amy interrupted Sonic before he could tell Lyric off. He looked at her with a mixture of worry, confusion and surprise.

"Amy, stop it already. You know I can't do that. I'm taking all of you and that's final. Don't try to be a hero, Ames."

Amy took his last words as an insult assuming he felt she couldn't protect or fend for anyone else. She knew that wasn't true because he'd counted on her before. What made this any different. Maybe if he knew what she was planning, he wouldn't doubt her. She looked down and sighed before looking back at Sonic.

"Sonic...don't worry about me. You get these people safe and out of harm's way. I will be fine. I'm a tough girl, ya know." she said as she winked at Sonic before turning to Lyric while clasping her hands together. And idea was brewing. "How about we make the decision a little easier for him, Lyric? Shoot me and he'll have no choice but to take the remaining option. It's only logi-"

"**Amy, are you crazy! Why would you give him that idea!?**" Sonic shrieked, surprising everyone in the room except Lyric who was still amused by Amy's suggestion. Amy reassured Sonic that she knew what she was doing by winking at him a second time, but more dramatically. He raised a brow at her, but reluctantly decided to play along.

_Where is she going with this? Gah, I guess I have no choice but to trust her. Still, she's risking a lot here._

"Well, the blue one now seems to be in a cooperating mood. Have any last words to your friend?" he said as he turned to Sonic while gesturing to Amy.

She gave an awkward smile to let him know that she was going to be okay and that he had nothing to worry about. Sonic looked at her still with worry covered all over his face, but he trusted her. Whatever she had planned had better work, for everyone's sake. He put on a fake smile and gave her a thumbs up.

"See ya on the flip side, Ames."

Amy smiled, gave a wink, and turned back to Lyric in a straightened position signifying she was ready.

He cocked his head at her determination. "You seem almost eager to die. And the blue one doesn't se-"

"It's Sonic." she corrected.

"...the _blue one_ doesn't seem to care for your life as much as I thought he would. He must really carry a burning hate for you. Perhaps that is your motivation in being sacrificed for people you're hardly associated with. I almost find it hard to kill you. There's just no torture in it now. I'd rather you beg for your life. Not shamelessly give it."

Amy eyed Lyric like she was going to punch him in the throat. Sonic, however, was satisfied with Lyric's sudden change of heart...technically. He didn't want to have to watch Amy be killed right in front of him helplessly if her plan didn't work.

_**I know how to change his mind.**_

"Oh, yeah? That's your excuse. Ha! You're only sayin that cause you're probably too slow to even kill me off! Isn't that right, grandpaaaa..." Amy stepped back as Lyric began to charge his claw gun and aim at her. Her teasing really ticked him off and the thought of sparing her life was no longer present.

Sonic watched Amy's every move, checking to see if anything went wrong then he'd have to jump in. But, as soon as Lyric shot her cage, the light ball that extracted from his claw gun shot the bars off of her cage, allowing Amy to swiftly dodge the flying bars, jump up, revealing her hammer, and come flying down towards Lyric with a mighty, hard blow to his armor. The collision of the hammer sent him sliding across the floor to the other side of the room long enough for her to run to the hostages that had been released when he was hit, taking his caging bars with him.

"Sonic, now's the time. Let's go now!" Amy yelled to him while motioning the civilians to head towards the exit.

While they were escaping, Lyric chose this opportunity to strike back while they weren't aware. He charged towards Amy, who noticed him in the corner of her eye and quickly dodged his arm coming down on her. She back handspringed out of the way and pulled out her hammer to prepare for the next attack. Lyric followed her movements and used snake-like motions to counter-attack. When she couldn't predict where he'd slither next, he slithered behind her and smacked her across the floor with one swing of his mechanical claws.

"Ugh! Why you stupid, scaly- ack!" Amy was hoisted into the air after having recovered from the last blow. She landed on her right arm and winced in pain as she held it for it was probably broken. Sonic heard the commotion as he was helping the the last of civilians escape and turned to see Lyric hovering over Amy's body, ready to attack her once again.

"AMY!" Sonic ran while rolling into a spin dash for momentum, colliding into Lyric head-on, sending him flying back towards the other side of the room again. Sonic quickly ran to Amy's side.

"Amy, are you okay?" he said as he tried to help her up. She was surprisingly objective to his help. "Amy?"

She attempted to sit up on her own. "I'm...ugh, I'm fine, Sonic. I can handle myself." she slowly stood up, holding her arm and looked towards the exit. "Is everyone out?"

Sonic cocked an eyebrow."Yeah, they're good. But they're not the ones I'm worried about. Let's get outta here before he pulls another fast one." Amy nodded and ran along side Sonic towards the exit. He watched her from the corner of his eye, only to see her struggling to keep up. He slowed down so that they were running at the same pace.

Lyric finally gathered himself and realized they were getting away. He looked behind him to pull a lever that would close the exit door. It was a vertical sliding door, so they didn't have a lot of time to escape, but they could make it. Lyric saw this and aimed his claw gun in their direction.

"I'll show these rodents. **You** won't get away from me again." He fired. It was heading straight for Sonic. Amy, being a couple of feet away from Sonic, saw the blast coming towards him and acted out of panic.

"Sonic, look out!" As Sonic turned to see what Amy was shouting about, he was pushed out of the way. The death ball was inches away from hitting her completely, but it only grazed her back, still applying a 'generous' amount of pain. She gasped, falling to the ground on her stomach to keep from landing on her now injured arm and back while using her good arm for support. Sonic regained himself and looked to see Amy lying on her face, looking unconscious.

"...Oh no...no...Amy...Amy!" Sonic rushed awkwardly to her, lifting her up bridal style and running towards the exit. The door was almost closed.

"Sonic, you have to hurry!" Amy shouted from his arms.

Sonic looked down to see a very conscious Amy. He looked up to see that he did, indeed, need to hurry, but he couldn't make it through the small amount of space left under the door with Amy in his arms. There was no other way.

"Amy, I don't think we can m-"

"Not if I can help it!" Amy magically pulled her hammer out with her good arm and through it under the door to hold it long enough for them to go under it. Sonic took this opportunity to send himself and Amy sliding under the door. Amy grabbed her hammer as they slid past it, allowing the door to slam closed.

* * *

**I didn't plan on making this more than one chapter, but it seems like it's gonna have to be a 2-chapter thing. The next chap will be up soon!**

******By the way, I know Lyric has claws, but let's just say he's got guns within those claws...let's just say...**

******I was never good with writing action...it's...so darn difficult -_-. So, sorry if the description seemed too loose for ya.**

**Comments are appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Geesh, I expected to have this posted yesterday...**

**All Sonic Characters are (c) of Sega**

* * *

_Why'd ya have to go and do that, Amy. I could've dodged it, no problem! Now you're all busted up...because a' me. Ames...please be okay. Ya gotta be. No one's dying on my watch. Especially you._

Sonic carried Amy towards the very worried civilians that made it out okay. They noticed the injured Amy in Sonic's arms and gasped. She wasn't as fortunate as them to have made it out okay. Amy's grazed back was worse than Sonic thought. She'd been hit just under her right shoulder and it shown a burned, deep gash, revealing white tissue and spilling blood. He removed his brown scarf and covered the gash to restrain the bleeding, which made Amy wince, causing tears to form in her eyes. It tore Sonic apart. And to think she was in this state because she saved...him. He held her body very close and gently to him for comfort. Amy was starting to look pale and weaker by the second.

"Heya, Ames...how ya holdin up?" he said trying to sound as strong and calm as he could.

She looked up at him just barely and gave him a weak smile. "I've had better days. Ugh-"

Sonic shushed her. "I think it's better if you don't talk. I'll get ya to a doctor soon, Amy. You'll be fine, I promise." Just then, Sonic looked up to see Tails and Knuckles, along with back-up and medics. Sonic ignored his friends and rushed past them towards the doctors. He recognized one of the doctors instantly and knew she could help due to previous associations.

"Sonic, what happened to Amy?!" Tails called out to Sonic as he was running by, but he didn't respond. Tails looked at Knuckles who was equally concerned about Amy and Sonic, who wasn't looking to good himself. He was sweating like crazy.

Sonic came to a stop in front of three nurses and shakily held Amy out to the familiar doctor. "Doc Ginger, can ya help her?" the familiar doctor, who was a short lavender dog, examined Amy's wound and her eyes widened at the sight.

"Oh my, this looks severe. Alright, just stay calm. We can take care of this."

Sonic nodded his head rapidly, fidgeting nervously. "I can speed on over to the hospital right now and get her there qui-"

"No, this needs to be treated now! There ain't no time for that, Sonic. We'll take her from here." And with that, two of the medics placed Amy on a gurney and carried her to the nearest building to operate on her wounds. She was out cold by then.

Sonic was reluctant to let her go, but he complied and allowed the doctors to do their job. He stared at Amy's limp and pale body as they took her away. He'd never felt so helpless.

Tails and Knuckles hurriedly walked up behind Sonic. "Sonic...what happened to Amy? Did Lyric do this?" Tails asked worriedly. Sonic looked at his blood-soaked hands and growled under his breath.

_I'll kill him._

"Yes." was all he said rather darkly, not looking at either of his friends. They looked at each other and then at Sonic, who was looking at the ground.

"We tried getting here faster, but we couldn't find the place until Tails tracked your communicator. What all went down in there anyways?" Knuckles asked, which to his dismay, Sonic wasn't willing to chat about.

"...I don't feel like talking about it, guys. For now...just get these people far away from here. There's no tellin what that overgrown python will do next..." he paused to look over his shoulder at the two, just as darkly as he sounded. "I'll catch ya later." and with that, Sonic was gone, leaving Tails and Knuckles bewildered.

"Was it something I said?"Knuckles blinked in confusion.

Tails shrugged. "It's most likely got something to do with Amy, Knuckles. Whatever happened, Sonic's taking it pretty hard. I think it's best we leave him be until we see how Amy's doing. In the meantime, let's help get these people back to the town where it's safe."

Tails and Knuckles both instructed everyone to follow them back to the main town. Whoever lived near the temple, they were no longer allowed to return to their homes for an evil had been awakened within the forest and no one was safe.

* * *

Meanwhile, a very distressed hedgehog sat perched in a tree, staring at the building Amy was being held in. It had been hours since they started an operation on her. Sonic was becoming impatient and more worried. He thought the longer the operation took the more likely it meant Amy's wound was worse than he thought. His assumptions were only slightly correct. Alas, Amy came out of the building with an arm cast and body wrap, covering the spot the gash had been. It was well treated, so it wouldn't take too long to heal. Her shoulder, however, would take a while to recover. It had been dislocated and would take a couple of months to return to its normal function. However, she wasn't completely defenseless. Her left arm was in stable condition, for she could summon her piko hammer with it at will when the time came. She could also use her legs to her advantage, kicking the crap out of her attacker. Unfortunately, she was instructed to restrain from violence for a while until her body was in full recuperation. Amy, being the stubborn hog she is, did not favor that order, but would comply until the time came when she'd have to dismiss it.

Sonic spotted Amy coming out of the building, talking to Doc, which was the doctor he'd spoken to before. He jumped out of the tree and ran towards them. He slowed down when he was near enough. He grimaced at the appearance of Amy's arm cast and wrapped up body, but he then smiled at the sight of a happy Amy, causing him to walk up to her, interrupting their conversation, and pull her into a light hug. Amy gasped and so did Doc Ginger. She didn't expect this, but she wasn't complaining.

"Sonic...are you okay?" she said as she tried pushing him off to look at him, but he was resistant. She giggled at his reluctance to let her go, so she gave up and hugged him back.

Sonic chuckled and put a hand on her good shoulder. "I'm glad to see you're still smilin' despite bein broke and all." Sonic teased and Amy smirked at him, giving him a playful punch in his shoulder with her left arm.

"Ha ha, very funny. I still have a good arm, ya know. Don't make me use it more than I have to, Sonic, or you'll be sorry you ever crossed me." She said pointing a threatening finger at him and then winking. Sonic was rubbing his arm from her punching him before. It was surprisingly sore. Amy had gotten a lot stronger than he thought. But that was something he had been responsible for. He trained her to this point and now he was seeing the results. He was very proud of her because, to his satisfaction, she wasn't the old Amy anymore. She'd grown up to be a very independent and beautiful young woman. And Sonic, though he'd never admit it to others, was taking a liking to this new Amy.

Sonic turned to the doctor and smiled. "Thanks, doc. I'm glad to see we left her in good hands. You guys are awesome!" Sonic said as he gave a thumbs up and his trademark grin.

"Well, we did what we could. Now, Sonic, you make sure you guys ain't pushing her to do anything strenuous. If you need to do some battlin, I suggest ya leave her behind. It's best for her right now." the doctor informed him. Sonic nodded and chuckled at Amy rolling her eyes at the doctor's instructions. She felt like she was being babied.

"Yea yea, Doc. You already told me. Everyone doesn't have to babysit me. I can handle myself."

"That's the kind of attitude I was afraid of. That's why we have to entrust someone you're always around to be accountable for your actions. There's no telling what you'll do when you're not being monitored, missy." she eyed Amy who eyed her back. Amy then sighed and threw her left arm up in surrender.

"Alright alright! I'll stay outta trouble." she mumbled as she looked away in defeat. Sonic snickered at Amy's behavior. Although he thought it was cute, he agreed with the doctor. He'd already felt guilty enough that Amy was in this predicament in the first place. There had to be something he could do, and this was good enough.

"Alright, Ames. Let's get you back to town. The guys are waiting for ya." he said as he began to walk in the direction of the town, Amy following.

"Thanks again, Doc. I'll be sure to take those horrible meds. Bleh!" Amy joked, sticking her tongue out in disgust before waving bye to Doc. Doc rolled her eyes and waved back.

"Good luck, Sonic. She's gonna be a heap of trouble with that attitude of hers." she said to herself as she began to walk back into the building with the other doctors.

* * *

Sonic and Amy had arrived in the town and were both happily greeted by Tails, Knuckles, and the civilians that were held hostage, along with thankful family members. As a thankful reward, the town gave an evening feast in honor of their heroes, Sonic and Amy. Amy got the most recognition for her bravery and witty ideal planning skills. She was given presents and all kinds of treats. Sonic didn't want as much, so he requested an entire wagon of chili dogs. And that's what he got. Tails and Knuckles subtly tried to question Sonic about the confrontation with Lyric, but he avoided talking about it, constantly interrupting them by bringing up a rather awkward topic, to which they laughed at. After everything had died down, the team was offered rooms to sleep in for the night. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles readied themselves for bed, while Amy decided to do some night watching. As Sonic was settling in, he noticed her walking from the motel from his window. He rolled his eyes but decided to follow her.

_She's the one who needs to be resting. Where does she get all this energy? Geesh, and I have to be the one to monitor her. I can't say I didn't see this comin._

Amy came to a stop by a tree sitting on a hill that overlooked the landscaping of the area. It was quite a sight at night. The stars were illuminating the sky with their twinkling features. It was the perfect spot for star gazing and Amy just couldn't pass it up. She initially just wanted to get away from everyone and think to herself. The whole day had taken a toll on her, physically and mentally. She leaned on the tree and rested her head on it.

"Finally, some good ol' me time. Today has been the worst! But...in the end everyone was safe. Too bad I had to pay the price for it, but I guess that's what bein a heroine is all about. Maybe...this is what Sonic's always felt like...But he hardly gets beat up this bad! Hmph, just my lucky day. A broken arm and a scar that'll take forever to go away! Ohhhh-uh! There's just no bright side to this."

"The day's finally catchin up to ya, huh." Amy gasped as Sonic came from behind a bush to reveal himself. Sonic's eyes widened when he saw Amy equipped with her hammer. He wasn't aware that he'd startled her. "Yo, Ames. Put away the hammer. You know what the doc said." he teased waving a finger.

"Yeah, don't remind me. You should announce yourself before you speak, mister. This hammer was only two seconds away from fracturing your skull." she joked as she made her hammer disappear.

"Oh-ho, feelin a little out of place, so ya wanna give me a fractured bone too? That's a bit low, Ames." Sonic chuckled, but Amy wasn't amused. She looked away rather hurt. Had he gone too far? Sonic noticed his mistake immediately and scratched the back of his head from embarrassment. "Oh...too soon?"

She looked at him with an annoyed expression at first, but smiled realizing what he was trying to do."It's okay, Sonic. I know you're just trying to make me feel better, but...I'm just not in the mood right now."

He lowered a brow."But what are ya doin out here by yourself, Ames? You of all people should be the one hittin the sheets. Not star gazin." He chuckled while lifting a finger under his nose.

"Yeah, well there's nothing else I can do now, is it." she said while turning her back to him, facing the landscape.

Sonic smirked, realizing what she meant, and walked closer to her to lessen the distance between them, standing just a foot beside her. "Hey, I know you're feelin like you're just gonna have to sit around and be useless, but that's not what's gonna happen. You're capable of so many other things, Amy. Besides your awesome battling skills, the moment you walk into a room, people can't help but smile. I've seen it happen." he admitted. Amy smiled a little at his encouraging words, but they didn't seem to comfort her as much.

Sonic noticed her unchanging mood and stepped in front of her, placing a hand on her left shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes seeming to glimmer under the moon's reflection, and he froze, staring at her awkwardly, but admirably. He stared for about five seconds before shaking his head and lowering his eyes, becoming serious.

"Amy...I wish you hadn't done what you did. You wouldn't be standing here with a broken arm if you hadn't. It could've been worse...but I shouldn't think like that." he looked away to compose himself and continued. "You just don't understand. Things are so much more serious than they were with Eggman. This Lyric dude means business and I'm talkin major psycho nerves! You can't just jump in when you want and take hits like that. You could die-"

"Like that ever stopped you." Amy now looked away from Sonic, becoming annoyed with his nagging. Sonic bit his lip, resisting the urge to argue with her. He sighed and softened his face features.

"I don't mean to sound like your bossy big brother or anything, but I wouldn't say any of this if I didn't care. Amy, you have to be more careful. I'm not plannin on seeing you like that again..." He looked away, trying to compose himself, but the thought of Amy being hurt more than once was taking a toll on his heart. He couldn't fathom the possibilities that were to come if she wasn't careful. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if anything happened to Amy. Somehow, he couldn't even imagine it. It was a world unknown. A world not worth living in. A world without Amy...wasn't a world at all.

Amy turned to look at Sonic, studying his face. He really did care, whether he showed it often or not. She knew he cared for her like he would a sister, but from the very beginning she had hoped he start to feel more for her than that. After all, they'd known each other for so long, what was the hold up? Amy had even tried becoming more of a dependable ally to impress Sonic and show him that she didn't always need saving. And now...he was doubting her capability. All because she'd taken a hit for him and gotten herself injured. An act she'd never regret. She saved him in her mind and it felt good to save him for a change.

"Sonic, I understand what you're saying, but like I said, _I _can take care of _myself. _I've been around you long enough to know all the basics. It's about time I get some recognition for what I've worked for. You said so yourself that I've got awesome battling skills. What's so wrong with putting that to use?" she paused, looking away and back before continuing. "In the past, I was always told to stay behind. Well, that was then, and this is now. I can fend for myself now. I can fend for you! Why can't you trust me?!"

"Amy, it's not that simple. I can't just let you do th-"

"Why?! Huh?! Why's it that _you _get to be the big hero all the time, Sonic? Why can't _I_ do the saving for once? What's so hard about letting someone protect _you_? You do it for me all the time and I _let_ you! Why can't I do the same for yo-"

"Because of _this_, Amy!" Sonic yelled, gesturing to her cast. His temples were flaring and his eyes began to swell. Amy gaped at Sonic's sudden outburst and his unfamiliar face of both sadness and anger. "I don't think you truly understand the reality of all this, Ames! There's more to being a hero than just saving people...it gets tougher in the long run and...you lose someone in the process...but I won't let that happen...I-I can't..."he swallowed his words, for his emotions were too overwhelming. Why couldn't she understand that he just wanted to protect her, keep her safe, keep her alive? She's so bent on proving she can fight for herself when she doesn't even realize how valuable of a person she is to him. Of course, that was on his part. He'd never told her how much she meant to him. Putting it off for so long, he felt that it might've been too late to tell her. Maybe...showing her would be easier. It'd be the only way she'd understand his argument.

Amy looked away bashfully, not being used to this side of Sonic. She never thought he'd show his concern for her so bluntly. It was surprising yet comforting. In some way, it sufficed for some type of confirmation that he felt more for her than he did anyone else. She could finally see that in him after all this time. Sonic had been lying to her face until now, unless...his emotions had been triggered by her current state. Maybe there was no real confirmation that he felt more for her and maybe he was just acting out of sympathy. Maybe he never truly saw her that way after all.

"Sonic...do you care for me that much? You've never shown me otherwise..."

"Amy, of course I care for you. Why would-"

"No, I mean like..._really _care for me. I know I haven't really bothered you about 'us' as much lately, but I think about it every now and then and I can't help but wonder still. I guess...what I'm trying to say is...do you **love** me, Sonic?" At this question, both hedgehogs looked away, blushing madly.

_This is it._

After a few seconds, Amy perked up at the sound of Sonic changing his stance completely, causing her to shoot her attention back to him. He looked determined and serious, standing straight as if he were about to make an announcement. His face then softened as he began coming closer and closer, and then coming to a stop, he lifted his left hand to Amy's face gently. Amy began breathing heavily, trying to gather herself for what she felt might be happening. Sonic began leaning towards her face ever so slowly, lowering his eyes while gazing at her lips which were trembling nervously. He stopped and brought his gaze up to her eyes. She looked almost afraid. Hadn't she been waiting for this moment like forever? Why was she freaking out?

"Amy?" he whispered "You okay?" he said while slightly laughing. It was humorous seeing how this girl would react to something like this. He'd always thought she'd be the calm one.

Amy tightened her lip before speaking. "I-I'm sorry. I just...I've waited for this moment for soooo long and it's all happening so fast and I'm not even appropriately dressed andthenmyarmisallbrokenandI-"

"Shh...you talk too much."

-kiss

Amy's eyes shot open as Sonic pressed his lips against hers. Was this really happening?

_**Somebody pinch me...This can't be real**_

Sonic readjusted his right hand to cup the back of Amy's head while his left hand slowly traveled down to her waist, pulling her even closer to him, causing Amy to shiver by his soft touch. As Amy became more comfortable in his embrace, she let her hand find his chest and began to deepen the kiss. Both hedgehogs dare not let go of each other for fear that the moment would be gone too soon. Their lips parted in and out of the kiss, taking a break for air, and then continuing. The kiss was passionate, not lustful, and both hedgehogs equally fell into the motions.

_Is this what I've been avoiding my entire life? I've run away from these feelings for so long, it's almost unbelievable that I'm doing this right now...Her being here...in my arms...it's so weird...yet...I can't stop. Her lips are just sooo soft...her hair...oh, the smell of her hair right now..._

_**Oh, I can't believe this is happening right now! Sonic's kissing me...he's FINALLY kissing me...ahhhh, and it feels so niiice...**_

Unfortunately, the need for air broke the kiss, resulting in a light smacking sound once they parted. Amy's eyes opened slowly to see Sonic's already open, gazing into hers. For a moment they just stared at each other, taking in the previous pleasures. Sonic suddenly smirked, causing Amy to almost melt at his handsome smile. Then, without warning, Sonic embraced Amy softly in a warm hug, cupping her head to pull her in. She was surprised by his sudden embrace, but followed suit. He rested his head on hers and she smiled in his shoulder.

"Ames...sorry I was never straight forward with ya. I guess I just...I didn't know it at first and I was never sure about it until today."

**_Ya sure picked a heck of time to tell me_**

"Seeing you hurt like that earlier...it did somethin to me. Like...I've never wanted to protect you _so_ much like I did today. It was scary, seein you like that." He pulled out of the hug to look at her face. He placed his right hand on her cheek and caressed it. She smiled at him and placed her hand on top of his. Sonic also smiled and continued. "I've never been so close to losing you. I never thought I would be...until today. So, from now on, Amy you're gonna be maintained until this whole thing blows over, got it!" he said as he playfully tapped her nose, causing her to grimace at his touch.

She frowned, placing a hand on her hip, and lowered her eyes. "That's exactly what I was afraid of, Sonic. I don't wanna be casted off like some handicap. I can keep up, ya know."

"Yeah, I get ya, but I don't want _you_ getting more hurt than ya already are, Ames. This is all I'm askin from ya. Can ya do this _one _thing for me? Pleeeease?" He gave her his best puppy dog eyes and she looked away, biting her lip to suppress a giggle, but she was weak. She gave in and laughed at his silly expression before turning to him and lowering her brow.

"Gee, I guess. Buuut, you've gotta do something for me as well." She said as she flirtatiously rubbed a finger on his chest. He smiled, lowering his eyes and leaned towards her face.

"Oh yeah? And what is that?"

"Kiss me like that **all** the time."

He smirked, sending chills down her spine. "Sure...I can do that." he said before leaning in to softly peck her lips. He parted, but was soon pulled back into to the kiss by a grab of his back quills. His eyes widened at Amy's aggressiveness, but he chuckled in his head and went along with it, enjoying it nonetheless.

* * *

**Yaay. It's finishhhhhed. There's no more to this, if you're wondering. It was only supposed to be a one-shot thing, but I'm a complicated gal.**

**Doc Ginger is one of the new characters in Sonic Boom, so if you were like..."Did she put some random OC in there?"...no, I didn't. They say she has "southern charm" so I assumed she might have a southern dialect. I'm a southerner myself :) **

**I'm gonna post a picture exert on my deviantart account later on. You'll see what part it is when ya see it. My name's SherryBlossom of course.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did writing it!**


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